Deportivo Pereira qualified for the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores this Thursday by drawing 0-0 at the Monumental stadium against Chilean Colo Colo, who had been relegated to third place and qualified for the play-offs South America for the cup to play.
The two teams drew, both being known for their lack of shooting but most of all their pursuit of the rival goal; in the case of the locals by their own mistakes and in the case of the Colombians by another good performance from Rodrigo de Paul, which he showed by stealing property from Chilean international Bryan Cortés.
Los Albos, desperate for a win that would give them second place, and fearful of a defeat that would keep them out of any international competition, fell victim once again to their fear and lack of definition.
The young Damián Pizarro showed once again to be headstrong, powerful, not avoiding contact, but lacking quality and above all clarity for the net.
He was the best chance of the game in the 53rd minute, a loose ball in the area that came to him after a great collective play, but did the hardest thing: sending it over the crossbar when it was enough to push it.
Barely two minutes later, Zuluaga silenced the Monumental, albeit only for a few seconds. He took advantage of a great penetration down the left flank to send the ball into the net, but Brazilian referee Cesar Sampaio canceled the goal as his teammate Rodríguez was offside, blocking De Paul’s view.
With both teams facing each other, the Cacique received good news from the La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires: there Boca, leader of the group, fulfilled the predictions and extended his lead against Monagas, leaving the Venezuelans one point behind the Chileans .
The game thus entered twenty tense minutes in which El Popular trapped its rival in the area and it was content to defend orderly and look for a counter-attack that will guarantee the spoils it later celebrated as a title: the pass to the next round of the major South American event.
It will not include a Chilean representative after Ñublense was heavily defeated in Argentina on Tuesday. Like Colo Colo, the Red Devils of Chillán will have to settle for the South American.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
